Bakers Journal March 2018 : Page 9

T he word celebration is often associated with the word cake. The two are simultaneously linked. There are celebration cakes for graduations, engagements, weddings, anniversaries, baby showers, birthdays and more. Joe Calabro, owner of Paticceria Gelateria Italiana in Ottawa’s Little Italy, has been making celebration cakes for 40 years. He’s known for his Old World European-style that also has a modern edge. “I like a simplistic style that shows true workmanship. A celebration cake is a special showpiece.” His house cake is and has always been the Torta Madeleine. This vanilla sponge cake is moistened with simple syrup or rum syrup and features vanilla and chocolate pastry cream alternated between the layers. Gone are the days of traditional royal icing and silk flowers. Today, his customers want rolled fondant cakes, decorated with more fondant, marzipan, gum paste or blown sugar. Buttercream cakes first masked in and then piped with the icing come in a close (Above) Beach themes are a popular wedding request at Coastal Cake Company.(Left) At Cake second. Babes, the majority of clients are requesting traditional cakes in pale shades. Birthday cakes now Thanksgiving she sells over 200 cakes. outsell wedding cakes By simply sending photos of their recent Just how important is the wedding at his retail location. wedding cakes, Coastal Cake Company cake? “Some brides come to us, even While made with the won not one, but two honours for before they pick out the wedding dress,” same ingredients, the Wedding Bells magazine’s competition she says. “The wedding cake is such a birthday cakes are Canada’s Prettiest Wedding Cake 2016. tradition. Guests look forward to it being more whimsical, with cut at the end of the night.” Sometimes the birthday cake is only a huge element of fun. “Everyone wants Chocolate cake filled with her part of the story. For a 50th birthday a theme or a character,” says the cake homemade raspberry jam, or red velvet celebration, Calabro was asked to make a designer. Musical instruments, sports, cake with white chocolate and fresh classic triple tier cake, all edged with cartoon and movie characters are all glittering rhinestone. Then, he built a four strawberries are the two top sellers. popular. Trends include buttercream cakes with foot mannequin out of pipes and wires. For one recent birthday, Calabro fresh flowers or sugar flowers as a White fondant was strategically crafted to designed Tea In The Victorian Garden, a keepsake for the bride. Gold and other form an evening gown. Around the cake two-tiered round cake. The base was metallics are popular accents for any and dress were smaller fashionable items white fondant, covered with soft yellow cake colour. And modern architectural and green striping, accented with a hand-such as a purse, shoes and lipsticks, all cakes, with extended tiers of various sculpted from gum paste. “I have to be craft ballet-pink ribbon. Pink fondant heights are far from classic. prepared for everything!” he exclaims. covered the next tier, edged with royal As a wedding destination location, Meanwhile, on Vancouver Island, icing piped lace. A tea pot sculpted from Vancouver Island attracts couples, who pastry chef and cake designer Marieke gum paste and hand painted is tilted on want to be married beside the ocean top. A teacup and saucer, also made from Nijenhuis, owner of Coastal Cake without leaving Canada. Many clients are Company, does a strong business in gum paste rests on the cake board, from cities such as Vancouver, Edmonton surrounded by multiple mini bouquets of wedding cakes from her 700 square foot or Calgary. “These couples ask for West studio in Parksview. Between Easter and colorful roses. } PHOTO CREDIT: CAKE BABES AND COASTAL CAKE COMPANY The voice of the Canadian baking industry MARCH 2018 / BAKERS JOURNAL 9